(AUSTRALIA)
Daily Mail [London, United Kingdom]
September 12, 2022
By Brett Lackey for Daily Mail Australia and Australian Associated Press
- Former Marist brother Francis William Cable abused boys in the 60s and 70s
- Known as Br Romuald, he preyed on vulnerable students in NSW Hunter region
- Cable died in hospital aged 90 after he was transferred from Long Bay Jail
- Another trial was set for 2023 over further allegations levelled by more students
A despicable paedophile who abused more than 20 schoolboys has died while serving a prison sentence at age 90 and awaiting trial over further charges.
Former Marist brother Francis William Cable was serving two terms for child sex offences in Long Bay Jail after he was sentenced in 2015 to a maximum 16 years.
Cable died on Monday after he was transferred to Prince of Wales Hospital in Newcastle with suspected heart disease, reports The Daily Telegraph.
A trial over further allegations was set for 2023.
Known as Br Romuald, he abused multiple boys between 1960 and 1974 when he taught at Catholic Schools in Hamilton and Maitland in the NSW Hunter region, and in Sydney.
In handing down the 16-year sentence in 2015 for four counts of buggery and 21 counts of indecent assault, Downing Centre District Court Judge Peter Whitfield said he had abused his position as schoolmaster and preyed on vulnerable students.
‘It seems he might have picked his victims because of their frailties,’ he said.
‘Inevitably, (the abuse) has profound impacts on their lives. It is one of the many reasons this kind of offending is so abhorrent.’
He was sentenced for a further 19 offences in 2019 and had his non-parole period extended from 2023 to 2027.
Cable was also set for another trial next year on a further five counts of indecent assault.
Marist Brothers Australia have previously condemned Cable.
‘That this man, who ceased being a Brother in 1978, has shown no remorse is very disturbing,’ Brother Jeff Crow said in a statement.
He said steps had been taken over the past 20 years to improve child protection at Marist institutions.